The IPMA ICB4® is the international standard on competence for project, programme and portfolio managers. The competence needed for each of these domains is defined in the following competence areas: “People” (how do you interact with the people around you, and yourself); the “Practice” of our work (needed for Projects, Programmes and Portfolios); the “Perspective” of the intiatives you’re running (the context within which the initiative is run and the link to what needs to be achieved).

What defines whether a project or programme is “good” or “bad”? When we’re striving for excellence in the execution of our projects and programmes, what do we mean? IPMA has given its extended definition in the PEB, the Project Excellence Baseline. This model is based on the well-known EFQM model, but is adapted to the field of project- and programme management and after over 10 years of use has been adapted to the model we’re using now.

Project, programme and portfolio management is a key competence for many organisations. In order to acknowledge and improve this competence, you want to know where you stand, and what the opportunities are. What is your organisation’s competence class? Getting to the highest level should not be the goal for organisation but getting to the right level is! What is the right level for your organisation? In the IPMA Organisational Competence Baseline®, or IPMA OCB®, we describe the competences. Now you can assess the organisational competence of your organisation.

The Agile Leader is more of a phenomenon than a role. As a responsible decision-maker, how do you know that you are working with a good Agile Leader? How does someone demonstrate good leadership? Learn about the agile competences in our IPMA reference Guide ICB4® in an Agile World

IPMA introduced a new standard – ICB Reference Guide for PMO in 2023. This standard is dedicated to the structures that support projects, programmes and portfolios to run them effectively and efficiently. These structures are called PMO – Project Management Offices. A PMO is defined as an organisational unit responsible for the administrative and specialists’ support of the responsible management in their management of a (set of) project(s), programme(s) or portfolio(s). PMO plays a very important role in designing, performing, monitoring and reporting activities. Specialists are working in PMO together with the Head of PMO who is leading the unit towards its goals and objectives. The new standard defines the competences for the individuals working in PMO. All the competences are aligned with the IPMA ICB that is used by all the project, programme or portfolio managers in their everyday activities.

The IPMA Research Evaluation Baseline® helps the various users in the field of Project, Portfolio and Program Management to guide the possibilities and results in research and is a systematic and transparent basis for the IPMA Research Awards, Best Paper Prizes and the IPMA Research conferences. The main purpose of the IPMA Research Evaluation Model (REM) is to guide different user groups to evaluate the capability and achievements of their research conducted in the domain of PPP management. The IPMA REB® can be used by these organizations and/or individuals for developing their internal research evaluation system, such as research funding agencies, research performing organizations, research customers, researchers (scientists), research evaluators, research managers, students/supervisors, and so on.

The IPMA Individual Competence Baseline for Consultants, Coaches and Trainers (IPMA ICB4CCT®) is the first standard that describes a whole set of competences required to prepare individuals, teams and organizations to improve performance. The standard describes a set of common competence elements (CEs) for all three domains (consulting, coaching and training), and a distinct set of competences for each. These competences address the customer’s needs and their expectations of the specific type of work. Consulting the individual is expected to deliver solutions, while the coach is expected to guide the client in a self-discovery process. Training, tools and techniques are provided to customers, rather than specific solutions.

The IPMA ICB4® is the international standard on competence for project, programme and portfolio managers. The competence needed for each of these domains is defined in the following competence areas: “People” (how do you interact with the people around you, and yourself); the “Practice” of our work (needed for Projects, Programmes and Portfolios); the “Perspective” of the intiatives you’re running (the context within which the initiative is run and the link to what needs to be achieved).

As projects become increasingly technically complex and global, involving more functions, products, geographies, and stakeholders, Project Planning is more critical than ever as a key success factor. This is because Project Planning is essential not only to ensure timely deliveries but also to build trust among all project stakeholders. Expertise in this field has become an important criterion for customers and sponsors when selecting their suppliers. Having a standard for Project Planning aligned with the IPMA Project Management standard (ICB4) enables the professions of Project Planners and Project Managers to collaborate harmoniously, using a shared language. The people competence elements are identical for both professions, as they work together within the same project team. Perspective competence elements are similarly aligned, although tailored to meet the specific needs of project planning. The practice competence elements go deeper into traditional planning aspects and incorporate modern approaches, such as forensic planning and agile methods. Given the global shortage of Project Planners, this standard provides organizations with a model to develop their project planning teams and identify gaps in expertise—not only in terms of knowledge but also in skills and abilities. For Project Planners themselves, the standard serves as a tool for creating their own development plans within the Project Planning profession.